Wellness Policy
Marshall County School District Wellness Policy
7.12 School Wellness
In furtherance of its commitment to fostering healthy nutritional and physical activities that support student achievement and that promote the development of lifelong wellness practices, the Board endorses the following programs, practices, and activities:
7.12.1 Nutrition Promotion and Education – The Child Nutrition Program, in conjunction with the Curriculum Department, will provide nutrition education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating. Nutrition education that teaches the knowledge, skill, and values needed to develop healthy eating behaviors will be integrated into the curriculum and offered throughout school campuses, including school dining areas and classrooms, by appropriately trained personnel.
7.12.2 Nutrition Standards – Schools will participate in available school meal programs, including the National School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, grants as received, and the Summer Food Service Program. The Board will ensure that reimbursable school meals meet the program requirements and nutritional standards established by applicable state and federal regulations. The Board will encourage students to make nutritious food choices and will monitor all food and beverages sold or served to students, including those available outside federally regulated child nutrition programs. With the exception of exempt fundraisers, all foods and beverages sold on campus during the regular school hours will be compliant with the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools standards.
Food items in competition with the CNP scheduled meal time may not be sold or provided free of charge to students. Foods and beverages may not be sold on a school campus one hour before and one hour after CNP meal periods. After being seated with their meal, students must have a minimum of 15-20 minutes to consume their meal. The Board will allow the marketing of only the foods and beverages that meet nutrition standards for foods sold in schools. Students are not allowed to bring fast food meals into the cafeteria during breakfast or lunch unless these items are contained in an unidentifiable container.
7.12.3 Physical Education and Physical Activity Opportunities – The Board will offer physical education opportunities that include the components of a sound physical education program. Physical education will equip students with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to maintain healthful lifelong physical activity. Physical education instruction will be aligned with the curriculum. All students will be provided the opportunity to participate regularly in supervised physical activities that are intended to maintain physical fitness and to impart the benefits of maintaining a physically active and healthy lifestyle.
7.12.4 Other School-Based Activities Designed to Promote Student Wellness – The Board may implement other programs that help create a school environment that conveys consistent wellness messages and that is conducive to health eating and physical activity.
Students are taught in the classrooms about good nutrition and the value of healthy food choices. However, any times foods served in the classrooms, in the case of a class party, are low in nutrients and high in calories. This sends them a mixed message – that good nutrition is just an academic exercise that is not supported by school administration and is not important to their health or education. To send the right message, administrators, teachers, parents, and students need to promote healthy lifestyle principles, replacing unhealthy food offerings with healthy ones for school parties and other school activities. The Alabama Department of Public Health Nutrition and Physical Activity recommends commercially prepared and sealed party snacks.
School activities or parties where food is served, must not be conducted during or in place of school breakfast or lunch service.
7.12.5 Administrative Implementation – The Superintendent is authorized to develop and implement administrative rules and directives that are consistent with this policy and that are based on input from teachers (including specialists in health and physical education), school nurses, parents and guardians, students, representatives of the school food service program, school board members, school administrators, and the public. The Superintendent will report to the Board, as requested, on programs and efforts that are designed to meet the purpose and intent of this policy. An interdisciplinary committee will meet annually to review and update the Marshall County School District Wellness Policy. The Child Nutrition Program Supervisor will be responsible for leading and organizing the Local Wellness Policy committee’s annual meeting.
Please contact Casey Partain, Child Nutrition Program Supervisor, at 256-582-7385 to participate in the development, review, update, and implementation of the Local School Wellness Policy.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
- mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or - fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or - email:
program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Board approved 6/20/19